aily newspapers can be a valuable resource for your business by providing leads and marketing material for your presentations. The next time you pick up the paper, don't just scan the front page, sports section or business headlines. Instead, actively read the entire paper with your residual check in mind. Try reading the paper as a business assignment.

Read the new business announcements. These can provide valuable leads for new prospects.

Read the classifieds. Check to see who's hiring new management and watch for merchants who have previously declined you. Once the new manager is hired, you'll have another chance for the sale. Also, companies hiring large numbers of employees might need to consider expanding their operations. This could be a good time to propose an upgrade.

Read the ads. Check to see who is having sales and when. If you can greet the merchant and talk about the big sale they just had, you'll show that you're truly interested in their business. If the sale was a large one, they may need to consider other payment options for their next sale.

The newspaper also can provide some valuable material for your sales kit. Most, if not all, of the items currently in your sales kit are provided or created by your company. What about testimonials from third parties? Do you have any materials that say someone other than your company believes your product is the best? Save clippings of articles about the payment industry, including the equipment and services you represent.

Check the papers for articles about your company or companies you partner with. If your company is headquartered in another community, consider a subscription to that local paper. When articles appear, order reprints to share with you customers-photocopies not only risk copyright infringement, they look unprofessional. These articles provide unbiased, in-depth information about your products and illustrate its value. Trade magazines are also a good resource for these types of materials.

Even if an article isn't specifically about your company, it may still establish a need for your service. The news is filled with stories of e-commerce, fraud, check forgers and identity theft. Use the news to show prospects that independent parties see a need for your services. Once you've established the need, show the prospect why your company is the best one to solve the problem.

Browse the Internet for news stories, too. The Web provides instant access to a vast amount of information from online newspapers and other news outlets around the world. Subscribe to e-mail news alerts about the payment industry.

So the next time you read the newspaper, keep all these things in mind. The pages you don't normally look at don't have to line the bottom of the bird cage!